Dilemma
by Akihiko Shou
Summary: Dino and Yamamoto compete for Hibari's affections as Tsuna is made matchmaker; and all hell breaks loose. -80minorD18.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Konbanwa.

**Disclaimer:** Do not own.

* * *

"So, what are you trying to say?"

All five – a very nervous Tsuna, a perplexed Gokudera, a very… normal Yamamoto and Reborn, and very, very, _very_ hopeless and confused Dino – sat in the middle of Tsuna's bedroom in a circle. No one talked for a while and the only sounds were of Reborn's sipping on the lychee flavored juice box that Mama had given him.

For the last few hours or so, Dino had been rambling on and on about irrelevant things that had no connections to one another: his pet turtle threw a rampage and had gone missing (to which Reborn told him it was the season for them to mate), he couldn't find any interest in anything anymore and he hadn't been eating well (Reborn thinks these were signs of withdrawal and asked if his ex-student was an alcoholic/smoker or a druggie, to which Romario quickly denied), and sex just didn't satisfy him anymore (to which Reborn commented that he was a disgrace to the male population and proceeded to beat him with Leon).

But really, as Romario explained, the blond was just stressed out because his 26th birthday was nearing in 2 months and the tradition said that every Cavallone must marry before he is 25, but somehow Dino's case had went unnoticed until recently when the central family's councilmen called upon the issue. (But Reborn pointed out that Dino just hid the papers they sent him and forgot about them (or burned them), to which Dino suspiciously denied.)

"Not only that, but I have to bear a child one year after my marriage!"

"Well, I don't see what the problem is. Just marry some good-looking chick and get it over with. Adopt if you have to," somehow, it just sounded too easy. "Then divorce her. See, no attachments!"

"Go…Gokudera, I don't think it's…"

"-not that easy!" Dino cried. "They'll conduct a blood test to make sure it's mine!"

Everyone stared as Dino fell over face-first out of his sitting position.

"You… can always go to the doctors and have them put your sperm inside of her without having any sexual penetration with her…" all heads turned to Yamamoto and Dino literally swam on the floor over to the brown haired man.

"B-But But I don't want to ruin her future like that! She might think I'm a failure who's scared of sex! And-And I don't wanna lie to a girl by making her feel special by marrying her, but I'm really just using her to make an heir to my family so that I won't be a disgrace to my old man's memory and then divorcing her! Not having sex with her after marrying her is equivalent to being a disgrace!"

Romario sighed from where he stood as Dino choked for air. "What the boss is trying to say is… he's in love with someone right now and does not want to marry anyone else, for reasons known to him only. This person also… cannot have children. It's just impossible for them to have mini Dino Cavallones."

"Can't have babies? Sterile?" A blush appeared on Dino's cheeks at Gokudera's comment.

"It's… not that."

"What is it then, Dino-san?" Tsuna tried to look at his face, trying to find any hint of the answer. Romario cleared his throat and Dino looked up at Tsuna, suddenly clutching the boy's elbows. "U…Uh, D-Dino-san?"

"Tsuna, you have to help me – I… I think… I think I'm in love with _Kyouya_."

From somewhere in the room, someone dropped their glass.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **"Snowed" yesterday; every school closed except for one. Guess which. Hardly half of that school's student body was present. Guess who suddenly decided to feel special and slept in. 8 degrees Fahrenheit today; school called at 5AM to announce "No class because it's 8 (_freakin') _degrees." Guess who received a morning bitching. :D

**Regarding Chapter: **An explanation to the reason why Tsuna was suddenly shocked to hear Dino's sudden decisions, to why a glass mysteriously dropped, and why Tsuna was, and is, in deep shit.

* * *

"So, I heard you asked Mr. I-have-a-large-stick-stuck-up-my-ass out,"

A strange mental image popped up in Yamamoto's brain as he took a moment to think on what Gokudera could possible be talking about. "Gokudera!"

"O-Oh, sorry, Tenth! I shouldn't have said 'ass'!"

"That wasn't it at all," Tsuna sweat dropped.

"Oh! You mean Hibari!" Yamamoto gave a wide grin since he got it right, but then it dropped when he remembered the events that took place. It took a twisted ankle, a fractured shoulder, a split lip, and 6 broken parts of his ribs for Hibari to finally agree on going on a date with him. "Well... I guess!" Well... Hibari didn't _exactly_ said they were going on a date. If Yamamoto remembered right, he had said something along the lines of: _"If you can land a blow on me," _

So _technically_, it was true.

_Technically_, they had a date because Yamamoto _technically_ managed to accomplish just that - after many fractures and damage to his body - and Hibari had silently (yet _technically_) agreed.

"Hey, you're really serious about this?"

"Hm?" Yamamoto smiled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Gokudera, you shouldn't be so suspicious about Yamamoto's decisions,"

"Suspicious? I'm worried! I mean, come _on_, Hibari!? Of all people? I know a shitload of idiots, but you, _you're_ the most idiotic!" Tsuna sighed; it was true. While he was glad that his friend finally found someone that interest him, why did it have to be _Hibari_? Hibari was... - Tsuna tempted to say 'nice,' but came nowhere close - a _mystery. _"It could've been some girl from the Arts and Crafts or something! A body-builder, _I don't know_! But _Hibari_?!" Tsuna tried to imagine his friend with a body-builder, a girl no less - and his face deadpanned. Somehow... that looked weird in his mind. Now that he thought of it, he really didn't know his friend's preference that much. He'd had assumed that since Yamamoto was the sporty type who loved baseball, he would at least pick someone in the same category. Maybe someone in the girls' division - their school _was _big on sports.

So... how did it come to Hibari?

Tsuna was _sure_ that Hibari really had no interest in sport (but then again, hunting _was_ considere, by law, a "sport"), other than when the teams were winning. Well, that was expected. Who in charge _wouldn't_ want their teams to lose?

"Well.. you see, Gokudera," Yamamoto laughed that trademark laugh of his, nervously scratching at the little bruise that was still evident on the side of his face, "umm, I really have no excuse!"

"Why you-"

They've known each other for a while now - they were almost graduating - and not once does Tsuna remember Yamamoto ever having a girlfriend. Countless confessions, sure, but no girlfriends... Tsuna was missing something important - he knew he was! Something crucial... something...

"Gokudera, you're choking mee! The bruise there still hurrtts!"

"IDIOT! WHY'D YOU HAD TO GO LIKE THAT FREAK FOR THEN!? HE'S LIKE SOME MURDERER FROM SOME HORROR FLICK!" Gokudera lectured. "FOR ALL WE KNOW, HE'S PROBABLY A _REAL_ MURDERER! SOON, WE'LL BE EXPERIENCING OUR _OWN_ TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE - ONLY, WE'RE IN NAMIMORI!"

Tsuna sweat dropped; Namimori Chainsaw Massacre did _not_ sound appealing. It was like sticking a flower into a pile of dung - simply, it did not fit.

"AND OF ALL THE THINGS - A _GUY?! - HIBARI, _NO LESS!"

"Gokudera... Hibari isn't a _thing_,"

AH! That was it! Hibari was... Tsuna sighed; he was so stupid. How could he have looked past that?! _That _was why he couldn't figure out Yamamoto's preference! But... that was pretty sudden and surprising, that his friend actually liked guys. Tsuna wasn't bothered; Yamamoto's decision is Yamamoto's decision. "Hey, Yamamoto..."

"Hm?" Gokudera stopped attempting to choke Yamamoto and let go of him, smiling nervously as he sat back down; he had promised Tsuna he wouldn't be _too _violent or smoke _too_ much. It was really killing him, really - _'But I must endure it! For the sake of that beautiful right hand! I must...!'_

"What do you like about Hibari?"

Yamamoto's cheeks turned pink, Gokudera scoffed, and Tsuna immediately sensed he had posed an awkward question. "Um..." Yamamoto took a moment to consider on how he should answer. He began listing things off in his head to talk about: The shape of his face? The paleness of his skin? The way his hair falls perfectly around his face? His dark eyes? The way his mouth moved in a smirk - almost a smile - when he's challenged? Which - which should Yamamoto say? Maybe he should say that he found Hibari to be rather _endearing_ - even if all that comes out of that mouth were death threats. Or maybe the sexual hint in his eyes and voice when he's threatening to bite everyone dead. Or his graceful, almost _seductive_ movements when he's ready to pound Yamamoto's face in? "His... butt?"

"WHA-...WHAT!?" Tsuna had to catch himself from letting his jaw drop to the ground; for once, he was glad Gokudera was the loud type. He was preparing for some unexpected answer - this _was_ Hibari they were currently discussing - but he was still startled. Tsuna almost laughed when he saw the expression of utter bewilderment on Gokudera's face. He was guessing Gokudera was pretty shocked too and if Tsuna could guess, he could say he _did_ know what Gokudera was possibly be thinking at this moment: _'The idiot's an ass man!?!' _and so realizing this, he sweat dropped at his own thought while Yamamoto, quickly realizing what he said, clamped his hands over his mouth.

"Um, well, I mean - it's not _that _bad-" Yamamoto quickly covered his mouth again, his entire face heating up. That wasn't much of an explanation - it _clearly_ wasn't what he wanted to say. "I..." Yamamoto sighed in defeat. "I don't know - I just... really, _really_ like him."

That sounded like a Yamamoto thing to say, Tsuna supposed.

...

"Are you really sure about this, Yamamoto?"

"Yes," the brown-haired teen smiled in gratitude and happiness. "Thanks again, Tsuna."

Tsuna looked unsure for a bit, but let it got. He was confidant Yamamoto knew what he was doing. "Alright then, I guess we can leave now. Gokudera?"

"C-Coming, Tenth!" Gokudera quickly gulped down the glass of water; not smoking was making his mouth dehydrate... He ran to the door to stand next to Tsuna as Yamamoto held the door open. His face changed from a nervous smile to a stern look. "Look, I know you're probably thinking you feel pretty sane right now and there's nothing wrong with your head..." He sucked it up, "but, be careful."

Yamamoto blinked; he had expected an insult.

"Whether Hibari returns your feelings or not, don't sweat over it; move on. And since it _is_ Hibari we're talking about, you really _should_ be careful. He could be playing with you and you might not make it out alive with just a few broken bones like this time," taken, "few" was said lightly.

Yamamoto's lips twitched into a smile. "I... I know,"

With one last look, Gokudera and Tsuna said 'Good-bye' and Yamamoto waved to them as they left. When their shadows disappeared into the night, Yamamoto closed his door and sighed as he leaned against it. Somehow, Gokudera managed to make Hibari sound like some dangerous serial killer or some sort of offender. He wasn't sure whether to say Gokudera cared about him, was really paranoid, or spent too much of his spare time watching horror flicks. "What a pain..." he rubbed his neck; it was really killing him. As he made his way upstairs again, he reminded himself to consider his (paranoid) friend's warning. Sometimes... he got this feeling that if he one day called Gokudera '_Mother_' just for the hell of it, he would probably get away without getting beaten. He knew he should be careful or whatnots, but... Hibari didn't exactly come off as a 'player' type of person…

If anything, he came off as more of the _'teasing' _type. Yamamoto smiled to himself; although, considering that thought just now, he supposed being a _little _careful wouldn't hurt.

But right now... he was going to dismiss it temporarily; he had someone important he had to call.

* * *

**  
A/N: **Supposedly, next chapter would be the continuation of _who_ Yamamoto calls.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hello; 3rd chapter. I just hate how the setup to the real plot is pacing so slow. :\

**Regarding Chapter: **Progressing Yamamoto's story/resuming the story with the original current time setting. I hope it's not confusing.

* * *

Yamamoto stared at the phone that laid near his face on the pillow in the dark. It was 5:45, hours before he should be awake on a weekend. But he just couldn't sleep - and he would be a liar if he said his phone was not at fault. He tried to contain his smile. Grabbing the phone, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand before staring at the dark screen that lit up from a touch of the keys.

He rolled onto his back and exhaled almost uneasily as he tugged at his blanket. He placed his hand that wasn't holding the phone onto his chest and realized he was trembling slightly, but he blamed it on his fast beating heart. But for reasons why his heart was beating so fast - was unknown to him. He couldn't think of an excuse - an answer. He slid the screen close and open again repeatedly for the next minute or so, the happiness only becoming bigger as the message repeatedly lit up and closed, up and closed, showing him its contents over and over again - those simple five words:

_'I don't like public places,'_

It had started with Yamamoto staring at the the number on his phone for the longest time, contemplating on whether he should call or not. His nervous eyes continuously glanced to the time on the phone and to his clock on the wall - then to his alarm clock. He wanted the time to be right so that it wasn't too late. Although the time read _9:34 _for the last 20 times he'd look, he was paranoid that time would _shift_ forward magically about an hour or two while he stood there if he wasn't looking.

It had taken him a while to convince himself that he could actually call Hibari after acquiring the number from Tsuna (with much convincing) - for "business" purposes Tsuna had replied when asked about it - and when he had successfully called Hibari, he had to spend even _more_ time trying to convince Hibari that he wasn't a salesman. But Hibari, being who he was, wasn't convinced by Yamamoto's horrible excuses and hung up without having heard the other explain his intentions...

He was just scared, _really, really_ scared.

Then just 3 hours later after they hung up awkwardly - _20_ minutes after Yamamoto had _finally_ told himself that he should sleep. He had hoped Hibari would call back or something - _anything_, really - but got tired of waiting. It looked as though there was no hope for him for the briefest of the 3 hours interval that he waited, but he just felt so happy when Hibari had responded - although via text. It was still good.

Yamamoto sighed as he rolled onto his side, on his back, and on his side again. He couldn't sleep anymore. In the span of a few hours, Hibari had made him experience all the possible emotions an average human could feel: Fear - in whether Hibari would pick up or not; Anxiousness - from what Hibari would say, when he found out it was Yamamoto who called; Relief - when they had a conversation, well, _somewhat_ of a conversation; Sadness - because Hibari didn't let him explain himself fully and instead, chose to hang up at the last moment; Anger - at himself, for always hesitating and not making Hibari stay on the phone longer; Regret - because after he replayed their conversation over, he came up with _sooo_ many different things he would've said for that scenario that probably would've kept Hibari on longer; Frustration - when he realized how much of an idiot he was; and extreme utter happiness when he replied with that text message...

Really, this concept of love was very confusing to Yamamoto... (Yamamoto blushed.) It really wasn't his fault that Hibari was his first... (He turned redder, trying to fix the thought to a less... suggestive, non-sexual way.) He's never... really liked anyone before. His love has (and will always) be baseball. He's said the occasional "Oh, she's cute," thing about girls when he was with his team, when they would ask him what he thought of "Busty-Takana-chan" or "Big-Thighed-Mizu-chan" but it never got any further than that.

The problem was...he could never imagine them naked. When he did, he... well, he was rather scared.

It wasn't until puberty hit him pretty late (and hard) that he's suddenly began to notice it - tits and asses didn't attract him. He was _not_ an ass man, he had decided - until he noticed Hibari. When he really, _really__ noticed _Hibari. It happened on one of those once in a while "surprise uniform checks" Hibari liked to conduct randomly - for his own sick enjoyment, Yamamoto liked to believe.

Everyone was lined up side-by-side, evenly separated and all stood firmly as Hibari walked through, checking one side - the side Yamamoto just _happened_ to be on - while his subordinates checked the others. Yamamoto preferred being checked by Kusukabe - he was let off the hook lightly with a warning or at times, he would be given a spare tie secretly to wear by the straw...stalk of grass-chewing VP. With Hibari - er... it was... different.

Hibari was merciless; Yamamoto was pushed back against the wall with the tonfa in his gut while Hibari threatened to bite him to death - as always. He didn't mean to tease or intimidate Hibari; something about seeing Hibari made Yamamoto want to make him angry. It wasn't on purpose. Honestly. And as Hiabri beat him until he slumped over, Yamamoto had looked up while Hibari continued on - the fluttering of the jacket and how it stayed on the perfect's shoulder always amazed him - and with the tilt of his head, he noticed the (cute) way Hibari's backside moved as he walked away.

Really, Hibari was _very_ complicated. "But so... very cute," his eyes squeezed shut as he felt his cheeks flare up at the simplest thought of the raven. He shook his head, trying to clear away his thoughts. All this was frustrating. But it also makes him smile. Maybe it's because it's 5AM. Maybe it was because Hibari was the cause of it. Whatever it was - he just knew that tomorrow, he had a date with Hibari.

* * *

"Hm," Reborn placed his finished juice box down and stood with his arms behind his back. "This may pose a problem if you had any thought of wanting to marry Hibari."

Dino's cheeks turned redder. "Well… you see…"

Tsuna sweat dropped. "Dino-san, you…"

Dino's head fell in a guilty fashion. "I… was planning to ask him maybe… this upcoming week, y'know, since tomorrow is before Winter Break also… And… well, I wanted to ask you guys what I should do. I was planning on bringing all of you to my villa in Italy… and then maybe asking him there… What do you think, Tsuna?"

Everyone fell silent, all eyes set on Tsuna. Finally, he understood what "deer caught in headlights" mean. Glancing back and forth between Dino and Yamamoto who stood (almost shocked) at the doorway, he chewed on his lip, considering the options, suddenly horrified that Yamamoto had to walk back in at the worst time. He could agree and they all go to the villa and spend their winter break there and hopefully everything goes well and Tsuna's no genius _**BUT**_ he knew the risks at hand: (1) Dino being rejected; Tsuna doesn't think he can handle a _suicidal _Dino _**and**_ a _homicidal_ Hibari, (2) a depressed Yamamoto, along with a depressed Dino too; Tsuna was no therapist (3) this was _Hibari – __**Hibari Kyouya **_– they were talking about; _somebody _was guaranteed to be bitten to death.

'_Someone's going to die… I just know it…! But… But I can't…' _Tsuna became nervous at the hopeful look Dino sent him, the squeeze on his elbows tightening a few moments late. He didn't know what to do; he knew that whatever answer he gave will wage a war of sacrifice on who will get hurt - his "nii-san" or his best friend. It was like the beginning of WWIII and Tsuna would be the cause of it! And he knew - all too well with those history lessons with Reborn, that World Wars were _not_ to be kidding with.

"I… I guess we can all go for a break…?" Shit. Shit. Shit. Tsuna knew he was gradually digging his own grave.

But the real problem at hand was: how were they going to persuade Hibari to go?

* * *

**Next Chapter: **How _will_ they persuade Hibari? Does Tsuna even know what he's doing? And, exactly, what happened on the date? (Ohh, mysterious.) **Till next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Regarding Chapter: **Hibari suffers the consequences of agreeing to go on a "date."

* * *

Hibari stared at his dark comforter, fingers running against the small seams, and frowning when he came to what looked like a loose thread. He'd have to cut that later, he reminded himself. He didn't hear any chirping, so he figured Hibird had flown off for its daily venture. His fingers retreated and he repositioned his arms under his head. His eyes closed and he let out an exasperated sigh. 20 hours ago - 20 hours ago, he was doing fine. 20 hours ago, before that damn baseball idiot burst through the door, he was doing fine. He just _had_ to ask Hibari that... _evil_ question.

_"Please go out with me!"_

It wasn't that Hibari had anything against the brown-haired teen. He was actually, rather... _fond_ of him, but only for the fact that he had won their school many game, taking them to the nationals each consecutive years since first year and holding their firm position of being the best. ...But from a student of Nami High, it was only _expected _of him to do this. And while Hibari felt a sense of pride in having his school withhold such a position, he had to be honest, he didn't know shit about the sport.

It wasn't that it didn't interest him - okay, it didn't. He just found it... boring and pretty pointless. Okay, a bunch of guys hitting the ball, chasing after the ball, and running around some weird polygon - _in tights _ - yeah, Hibari wasn't too much interested in that. However, he could not deny that he had been to most of all their games or was watching from afar - but that was _only_ because he knew they would win. He was just watching to confirm this. It wasn't like he was there to _stare_ at Yamamoto Takeshi's _butt_ - as did 90% of the students/people who went to see their games - as he's _gliding_ across the grass to touch the plate, _grinning_ to the cheering crowd as he dusts himself off when it was called safe.

It wasn't like Hibari noticed that the smile being thrown was in _his_ direction (or more specifically, at him).

Hibari noticed it, however - the way his body had filled out the past few years. In middle school, he was just lanky and awkward, but years of baseball proved to have done some good when Hibari noticed how well-toned he came out to be when he _accidentally_ stumbled upon Yamamoto taking off his shirt after a game. Really, the guy should refrain himself from exposing so much skin in public so that he would be a less likely victim of fan girls attacks, even _if_ he was, from head-to-toe, sweating under the summer heat.

B-Back to the point - Hibari had nothing against the teen. He just... didn't particularly like him. And then to have the guy him out... A guy no less! Why that guy even bothered was beyond Hibari. So, he did the only thing he knew: he resolved to beating some sense into the teen... and ended up being defeated - no, Hibari slipped! He_ refused_ to admit he was defeated by... by... _that guy_!

Hibari's hand tightened on the comforter. "..."

He had a nice smile - Hibari supposed. That was what everyone kept saying about it. That was what he was also popular for outside of just baseball. Contagious. Whenever he smiled, everyone else did as well. Hibari didn't particularly find anything special about it, however. Nope, not at all. And his stupid loyalty to that peep squeak Sawada. While Hibari could understand such a thing as 'loyalty' to one's 'friends,' he just found the guy to be... well, _too much_. It seemed like he filled in everything that was considered close to _perfect_. He had a nice body, everyone practically _adored _him, he had multiple fanclubs - Hibari would not be shocked if one day some group exclaimed that they had a shrine dedicated to the school's star - had a somewhat okay "out there" personality, and was the equivalent of a very seemingly devoted boyfriend, (due to the relationship - him and Gokudera Hayato - had with Sawada Tsunayoshi. Though, Hibari dared not want to venture onward on _how deep _their relationship were...) he supposed.

Of course, Hibari would _never_ openly admit any of it. Especially not to a certain someone.

Hibari suddenly frowned, feeling almost frustrated that he was spending so much precious time _thinking_ about the baseball star. It almost made him sick. But it was true - Yamamoto Takeshi... proved to be a good candidate in the "boyfriend" region. He served as a good loyal, devoted friend to Sawada, participating in those silly games. He seemed pretty nice to girls - awkward, but nice enough. Then again, he was an all around nice guy. He was nice to _everybody _and everything.

Hibari turned on his side, feeling overly frustrated now. Why did he accept that... _stupid_ request? Why - Why!? He remembered being very tired and not at all 'too into' the precedence of the end of the day. Rather, he wanted to go take a nap. He had a dreadful feeling, he remembered. He had sensed that something was off and bound to happen. He just didn't expect that something to be Yamamoto Takeshi.

Who knew the baseball idiot wasn't straight...

But then again, Hibari had never asked. Or heard of him or anyone talking about his sexual preference. But then again, that matter was probably too trivial for Hibari to have never consider it a spot in mind. Then again, it _should've_ been obvious, right? Hibari's thoughts drifted to Gokudera Hayato and Sawada Tsuna, two people he knew Yamamoto Takeshi spent most of his time with, outside baseball. He tried to imagine him with Sawada, and then the chain smoker. It didn't make sense - he didn't like either thoughts so he waved the thought away.

He then tried to imagine him with a girl. Impossible. Hibari couldn't find a good match. It just made him wonder if the guy liked big boobs or small ones. Or the athletic type of the drama queens, the shy (but sexually adventurous in bed) girls, or the dense busty girly girls. Off-topic thoughts led him to the fact that Gokudera Hayato would fit beneath drama queens and Sawada under the shy one. He permitted himself to _not_ go any further than just "shy." Sawada... adventurous in bed? Slightly creepy - but Hibari believed Gokudera and Sawada were more made for one another. (Maybe they'll work something out...)

But that guy-- that guy was a mystery.

Hibari pondered further on why he even let Yamamoto Takeshi have his number/e-mail address. He wanted him to leave - yeah, that was it! He just wanted the guy gone. Of course. Damn, Hibari should have given him the wrong number... Really, he was so...

"Annoying..."

While he could not confirm whether Yamamoto Takeshi was straight or... _otherwise_ and the type of girls he liked, he did not let himself go into further details on why the baseball idiot would ask _him_ out on a date. It was illogical - it was... _not Hibari's cup of tea. _Besides, what could they--two guys-- _possibly _do?

* * *

"..." Hibari crossed his arms, hugging his body. It was cold; he only wore a sweater on top of his long sleeve. His eyes glanced around, landing awkwardly on the people standing nearby. Like many others that were standing around or sitting on the benches, Hibari, too, was waiting for someone. (No, he refused to call it his "date"!) About an hour ago, Hibari decided that he would just get this over with, the sooner the better. Especially when Yamamoto texted him and asked where his address was. Hibari decided against meeting up at his own place; he was sure Yamamoto would help himself to come bother Hibari more than necessary, unannounced.

They decided to meet at the park, and then go from there... wherever it was that this was going to.

He pretended to busy himself--he didn't want to be here--by staring around, not really admiring the winter flowers or the dead trees. Hibird had decided to not follow him; maybe the bird was at home where the nice heat was... or out... somewhere. Whichever, he was more concerned on what he should do to the late teen. Maybe he should beat him on the spot--no, that would cause too much attention... Attention would mean crowding... "...Nosy herbivores..."

"Haha, hiya, Hibari!"

Hibari refrained from jumping when he felt heavy arms clasp around him. His eyes not even glancing back, he elbowed the offender, causing him to double over in pain; Hibari frowned when he heard some gasps that followed. "...Yamamoto Takeshi. You're late, as usual,"

Hibari wasn't surprised; the guy was late for everything. How many many times have he seen this guy while passing the Detention Room?

"Haha, so-sorry," he grinned at Hibari with that stupid grin of his as he rubbed his neck. "I had to help my old man take out the fish first... Did I make you wait long?"

_Only for an hour or so_. "No," Hibari replied.

Yamamoto smiled this time, but then frowned when his eyes landed on something. "Your hands! They're all pink!" he suddenly grabbed them and Hibari tried to draw away, but he didn't have the time to protest or anything before Yamamoto had pulled him closer. Close enough for Hibari to tell that Yamamoto Takeshi had just taken a shower, a mingled scent of Old Spice and some fruit shampoo--nothing evident of fish. (Hibari hoped no one was watching them...) Yamamoto lifted the stray strands and peeked at Hibari's ears. "I knew it! Your ears are all red from the cold!"

This guy was an idiot...

"C'mon, I know a place where we can warm up!"

* * *

They ended up at the Sasagawa family sweets shop that Sasagawa Kyouko and that Haru girl worked at/ran. Hibari wasn't all that excited and was reluctant to go inside when he noticed the all too familiar route. He had a sweet tooth and Yamamoto Takeshi wasn't going to find out about it.

"Why're we going in here...?"

"Oh? You don't like sweets?" _Far from it, Yamamoto Takeshi..._ "I promised Sasagawa-san that I'd come by here to try her cakes! I heard they were really good! ...And also because Haru threatened me." Hibari wanted to punch that grin from Yamamoto's face when he felt large hands at his lower back, pushing him gently inside. "I promise you'll like it too!"

Hibari tried to fight off those hands that made him ticklish, but the sudden greeting from Sasagawa caught him off guard and he almost lost his balance. (How ungraceful...) But he quickly caught hismelf. _Good one, Hibari_. "Hello~! Welcome to our shop!" she bowed gracefully, the round silver platter close to her chest. As usual, she was cheerful, but _not loud._ Well he supposed _someone_ had to be normal between the two Sasagawa siblings.

"Oh! Hibari-san and Yamamoto too! Here for the usual, Hibari-san?"

"Usual?" Yamamoto seemed confused, Hibari fumed, and Sasagawa Kyouko giggled.

Hibari mumbled a "I'll be over there," and dragged Yamamoto by the sleeve before he could ask any further questions. When they got to the far end of the many white and red checkered tables, Hibari settled to one near the far back next to a window--away from everyone else. "You, sit over there," Hibari ordered when Yamamoto made his way to sit next to Hibari.

"O-Oh, okay," he only smiled as he did what Hibari said; this was still good, he could stare at Hibari this way...

"Yooo, Yamamootooo~!" Yamamoto almost shrieked when Haru _glided_ over in all her yellow and white glory, clapping him on the shoulder.

"H...Hey, Haru,"

"Why didn't you tell Haru you'd come by!?" Even after all these years, she still referred to herself in third person, but that was just Haru... "And Hibari-san! Why didn't you say anything about bringing _this_ guy here? Haru's been trying to convince him to come here for soo long! But he kept on going on and on about wanting to bring his girlfriend or something here!"

"...Girlfriend?" Yamamoto pretended to ignore Hibari's suspicious look as he nervously pulled the colorful menu closer to hide his face.

"Mmhm! Haru was sure she heard him say something about bringing someone special! Oh-! Yamamoto-!?" Haru suddenly pulled at his collar as she cupped a hand over his ear. "Did you mean-?" Her eyes glanced to Hibari who quickly ignored the conversation now that he found out what Haru's _whispering_ voice was like.

Yamamoto said something back to her and from the corner of his vision--from the corner! He was _not_ looking!--Hibari noticed her cheeks become red and didn't need to know Yamamoto's response after she clasped her hands in front of her face, giggling madly. "Ohh-! Haru has to tell Kyouko-chan!"

"B-But, we-!" Yamamoto was about to say they didn't order yet... but Haru had already flown away to Fangirl Land--a place Hibari was sure neither him or Yamamoto wanted to go... Settling for a pout, the baseball plater sat back, looking almost nervously to Hibari who intently stared back, looking as if he wanted to burn a hole into Yamamoto's face... Sensing he was going to say something, Hibari quickly cut in.

"Don't talk,"

Hibari sat back and looked off elsewhere, glad that at least this person knew how to shut up when asked. About three tables away, he heard some giggling and hushed conversations, _as if he didn't see their occassional glances or the way they cupped their hands over their mouths secretly. _As if it was wrong for two full grown teenagers - two _males_, no less - to be out on a Saturday morning in a sweets shop.

...Okay, so _maybe_ there _was_ something wrong with that, but Hibari wasn't all too concerned about it. It didn't take a genius to know that they were talking about him. It bothered him that people were staring, yes, but he didn't want to make a ruckus and make Sasagawa Kyouko close business.

"Hibari?" Yamamoto had inched forward across the table to quietly pass on this message again. "Are you okay?" It wasn't until their knees touched and he felt that large callused hand on his knee did Hibari drew himself from imagining just _how_, from such a distance, did those houses - I mean, _women _- could see Yamamoto's, supposedly, "defined jaw line."

Hibari tried to convince himself that he could burn holes through the hardwood table with his glare - or just enough to burn Yamamoto's hand that was on his knee. Whether he was trying to molest Hibari or reassure him, Hibari didn't appreciate it and sure as hell didn't want to draw more attention to them by punching a crater into that idiotic face; curse the fact that Yamamoto Takeshi had long legs. "You seem to be fidgeting a lot."

He tried to imagine them as strangely obese - hence the fact the described them as 'houses.' Even though they were saying supposedly good things - "compliments" - Hibari felt a strange sense of possessiveness overwhelm him when one of the women complimented on how _sharp_ Yamamoto's collarbone was. He didn't want to know _how_ she could see that nor did she want to know _what_ she was going to do to him when he caught, "Oh the things I'd do to him."

Lifting his eyes, he followed past the choppy brown hair, along those curious eyes, the surface of his tan face, and to the - supposedly - defined jaw line. His collarbones stuck out very noticeably, but, that was normal, wasn't it? His collarbones, as well, stuck out… more or less, in an _awkward way_.

But it was only because he was anorexic.

"Hibari?" Hibari didn't care if Yamamoto finally heard them or not, but was almost relieved when the food came. Hibari settled on concentrating on the food that was placed in front of his: his usual, a large vanilla sundae with waffled sticks, decorated with strawberries and kiwis, covered in hot fudge, nuts, and whipped cream, topped with a cherry. This calmed his anger down a bit, a small smile playing on his lips as he noticed there were extra strawberries alongside his ice cream.

Hibari took note that, not only was this bigger than usual, but there was only _one_ serving of this. And there were _two_ of them.

"Here you are~!" Haru handed them two spoons and drifted away.

Yamamoto stared while Hibari helped himself; he looked uncertain. Hibari mused with the thought that Yamamoto was contemplating on whether Hibari would spoon his eyes out if he tried to eat some of the ice cream. But all Yamamoto did was smile as he watched Hibari, which... made Hibari all the more uncomfortable. He was sure now that he'd rather Yamamoto had eaten than stare at him. So spoon halfway to his slightly agape mouth, Hibari looked to him with a puzzled face.

Sensing this, Yamamoto suddenly smiled, "No, no, continue... I'm sure you don't want me to ruin it."

_(How can such a nice looking boy be with someone like that! Did you see how skinny he was and that sour look on his face? What kinda face is that! And his hair! You can't even tell what gender he is! Really, people these days. It's as if they're all rebelling. Do you think that other boy set him up to this? Maybe threatened him? My god, how desperate can people be these days...")_

Hibari frowned as he ate, but Yamamoto acted as if he didn't hear anything. A few more spoonfuls and "complaints" from the women at how Hibari didn't "properly comb his hair," his "tight clothing," "anorexic figure," and the assumption that he was a gold-digger, Yamamoto suddenly chuckled as he laid his cheek on his propped hand. Hibari threw him an accused look as being their accomplice; he knew.

"I like your hair," he felt their knees touch and a callused hand rest on top of his, the warmth traveling from the large hand all the way to his stomach. "...I think it's... cute."

* * *

When school started again, Yamamoto Takeshi had... sought him out; yet again when all Hibari wanted to do was have nothing to do with him. His best guess: what happened that weekend. He might as well have been wasted and had no clue what was going on. If _only_ that were the case... He was just standing on the roof, staring off at the clouds that day - no, it was more like _a_ cloud. What usually looked like a kid's bad coloring page now looked like... a cloud-orgy.

It was Hibird who noticed _him_ first. Exclaiming happily, "Takeshi~Takeshi~" as it flapped, at first clumsily, out from between Hibari's sweater and towards the direction behind him. ...Which annoyed Hibari. That _thing_ had somehow managed to teach Hibird how to say his name. "...Yamamoto Takeshi,"

"Hiya, Hibari~" The baseball star waved while Hibari glared at him and the small bird that flew into his shirt. "Hey! Hey-!? Hibird, where are you-!? Heyyy! I'm ticklish!!" Hibari frowned before turning back around, away from the teen who was flailing around awkwardly. "Stopppp itt!"

"You're being loud," Hibari growled, regretting the fact that he had left his tonfas back in his office. He should've known that _this_ annoying herbivore would bother him... "If you continue to annoy me, I won't hesitate to bite you to death."

"O-Oh, sorry," Hibari rolled his eyes when Yamamoto moved over to the railings next to him, Hibird popping its head out innocently. "Ohh, the wind's harsher up here... Why are you up here when it's so cold?" Hibari was tempted to hit him for being nosy; he didn't feel like talking to this person... "And you're only wearing a sweater. Where's your jacket? Don't you have a coat or something?"

Hibari didn't understand his concern, but his next comment _greatly_ agitated Hibari. "You know, they said that short people are likely to feel colder," Hibari glared at the offending hand on his forehead. "Woah! It's really cold! You just get inside before... EEK!" Hibari frowned when his punch missed; Yamamoto Takeshi screamed like the girly Sawada Tsunayoshi. "E...Eh, sorry I touched you without asking..."

Hibari turned away, paranoid that his face would heat up from hearing that phrase _yet again_, "You're class cutting."

"O-Oh, well... you see, lessons ended early today,"

"Then go bother someone else. Or... do you have a death wish?"

"Well-" Hibari was suddenly startled when he was pressed against the railing, his arm sticking out awkwardly from the weight of the off-angle push. He stared, shocked, and then angry when he realized how close the other was to him. _Just like that time._

"Let go,"

"I... Um..." He noticed the redness in those cheeks and frowned when he realized he was boxed in when he closely observed the situation at hand. Great; not only was he stuck in an awkward position with Yamamoto Takeshi, but his hipbone _grinding_ up against the cold metal wasn't helping at all. It probably didn't help either that he couldn't take his hands out of his pockets to bash that face in... "I- I want... I want to continue where we left off-!"

* * *

**Next Chapter: **Yamamoto continues to relive the memory of that weekend while Hibari just wants to leave it just that; Tsuna gathers the courage to negotiate with the indifferent Hibari who, more or less, suffer from sociophobia.


End file.
